Things to do near Baltimore- Kayak Annapolis

Things to do near Baltimore- Kayak Annapolis

I love being in, on and around the water.  I grew up in Baltimore.  Every year we made the trek “Don de Oshun Hon” to spend at least a week in Ocean City, Maryland and often spent time at the military recreation facilities in Solomon’s Island and Lewes, DE.  Many of our family vacations are still planned around water. I am a fan of the ocean, the bay, creeks, lakes, rivers, even back yard pools, pretty much any body of water. Heck I even love to take baths!  In my late teens and early twenties I was a lifeguard.  Working just outside Baltimore City, I will often take a detour just so I can drive by the Inner Harbor.  Water makes me feel complete.  

When I saw a coupon on LivingSocial.com for KayakAnnapolis, I clicked and bought.  On Saturday morning I spent 2 perfect hours in a Kayak with Sydney and Papa Razzi (and his camera) in his own Kayak by our side.  Kayak Annapolis offers a historic group kayak tour of the Annapolis Harbor from Spa Creek in Truxton Park, toward Eastport and the United States Naval Academy and back.

KayakAnnapolis offers tours from April 15th thru October 15^th at 8:30 AM, 12:00 PM and 3:30 PM.

 Our tour began at 8:30 AM.  We were greeted warmly by Captain Kate and Pirate Pete, the owners and main tour guides of Kayak Annapolis.  They are a lovely couple who made everyone feel welcome.  Kate handles most of the business end of the tours while Pete, a true history buff, handles most of the educational part of the tour.   They are quite a team. 

After a short “intro to paddling” session, we donned our life jackets and stepped into the water and into our Kayaks.  The two-person kayaks are virtually tip proof and very easy to handle. 

Once the group was all loaded up, we headed out at an easy pace.  We paddled through multi-million dollar yachts, in full view of amazing water-front homes and past the Annapolis Yacht Club.

We got to see (at a distance) and hear about Raven’s owner Steve Bisciotti’s boat, a mere 130 ft, 20 million dollar vessel!  If you are thinking about a career change, captain’s of these dingy’s average about $1000 per foot, per year, not a bad wage! 

Did you know that homes on the water weren't always coveted?  It used to be where the poor and destitute lived, only fit for bars and brothels.  Prior to indoor plumbing, the upper class would live high on the hills, dumping waste into the streets. The rain would wash it down the hill, hence a saying we are all familiar with! 

Founded in 1649, Annapolis is a history rich seaport that came to life with each new fact shared by Pete.  He is a storyteller’s story teller.  He engages his audience with trivia and personal stories.

We took a break across from the Naval Academy for water, juice, granola bars (included with the tour) and more stories. 

Did you know that the extraordinary dome of the State House in Annapolis has shingles made of Cypress Wood?  Why? Because termites don’t eat cypress!  To this day there are no metal nails in the dome, it is held together by wooden pegs.

After the short break, we got back in the kayaks, and headed back to Spa Creek.  They call this part of the tour “Google Your Guide”.  Kate and Pete are a wealth of information about the history of the area as well as places to go and things to do in and around Annapolis.

I have always loved Annapolis.  There are great restaurants and watering holes and of course the views are incredible.  As the sailing capital of the world, you can’t help but be impressed by the boats, much less their owner’s.  It’s also really neat to see the uniformed midshipmen walking around town when they rate time off.  They are some of the best educated and well-trained future Naval officers and Marines in the world. The homes are spectacular and the historic buildings are picturesque.  There is shopping galore. It is a wonderful place to visit. 

Pete’s stories made me want to spend even more time there, exploring the Naval Academy grounds, the State House and the area.  He even made me want to check out the Bone Boats housed in the basement of the Naval Academy Museum.  These are scale model boats carved from beef rations during the late 1700’s and early 1800’s, apparently a MUST SEE!

After our wonderful 2 hour adventure, we had a delicious breakfast at the highly recommended Boatyard Bar and Grill in Eastport (Thanks Kate!) and got to spend time at the Annapolis Sailboat Show.  Although the Sailboat show ended on the 10th, you still have time to catch the PowerBoat Show that runs from October 13-16 in the Annapolis Harbor.

I highly recommend that you spend some time in Annapolis, Maryland as soon as you can, and next season be sure to book a historic tour with Kayak Annapolis.  What better way to learn about a water town than on the water?  It doesn’t matter if you are a single, a group, a couple, a family with young children or teens, everyone will love this tour.

There may still be a few slots available this week on the week days, but the final weekend of the season is fully booked. 

 Things to do near Baltimore- Kayak Annapolis